1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hairpieces which are typically worn to enhance the wearer's appearance and to compensate for deficiencies of hair on the wearer's head.
2. State of the Art
A number of hairpieces have been disclosed most of which have been directed to supplementing the length or thickness of the wearer's own hair. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,634,190 (Hepner), U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,481 (Mazzocco), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,029 (Ueberschaar). In contrast, some hairpieces have been designed to give the wearer the appearance of having shorter hair. One such hairpiece is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,346,718 (Muller).
Further, hairpieces have been disclosed which essentially include a band or bands of hair to connect to the wearer's entire head, or to connect to certain portions of the head. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,546 (Ensminger), which discloses a single band of hair, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,832 (Ito), which discloses a series of bands intended to generally cover the entire head. French Patent No. 701,974 also discloses a modified band of hair for enhancing the wearer's own hair which can also be used as a tiara for insertion of flowers and the like.
The prior art has generally been concerned with enhancing the wearer's own hair and has not been specifically directed toward covering areas of the wearer's head where, because of a natural deficiency of hair, natural hair loss, or preoperative hair removal, there is a patch or strip of permanent or temporary baldness. For example, with advancements in surgical techniques, many types of brain surgeries can now be performed without having to shave the patient's entire head. Frequently, surgery can be performed by means of a relatively small incision in the scalp. This procedure requires the shaving of only a small area or strip of hair on a patient's head. While the patient's head may have been shaved to an extent that it is impossible to comb the remaining hair over the shaved area, oftentimes the patient has not been shaved sufficiently to require his wearing a wig or hairpiece which covers the entire head. Recognizably, the patient's desire to cover the area of hair loss is important for many reasons, both personal and otherwise. This desire is oftentimes most pronounced in persons with very short hair.
It would be advantageous therefore to provide an apparatus for covering areas of permanent or temporary hair loss which at once provides a means of attractively covering isolated hair loss areas, thereby avoiding any need for wearing a full wig or hairpiece to cover those areas.